CONSUMER ADVICE

The repo man just paid your neighbor a visit, hooking up his late model sport coupe to the tow truck and pulling away. Your neighbor tried to argue with the driver, but the driver ignored his pleas, shoving a document into his chest before driving off. Unless your neighbor resolves the problem his car will stay impounded until it is sold to a new buyer.

(Public domain photo supplied by Jelson25.)

Repo Shopping

Your neighbor’s loss can become your gain, although you might not want to buy his vehicle back if you value his friendship. Instead, there are hundreds if not thousands of cars that enter the market each week, ranging from basic Kias to high-end BMWs.

There are a number of ways you can buy a repo including from a lender, a dealer or at auction. The downside is that you may not have the vehicle’s entire repair history to review, perhaps leaving you wondering if the owner let the car go because of unresolved maintenance issues or for some other problem. Also, cars that are repossessed generally are neglected as owners that can’t make loan payments usually won’t keep up with repairs.

Lender Repos

The company that financed the repossessed vehicle wants to sell it. And they want to stem their losses before they worsen.Clearly, lenders lose money when a car is repossessed. If the vehicle is new and in excellent condition, there may be several people interested in buying it. Lenders may accept bids for the car or set a fixed price and sell it to the first qualified buyer.

If you are interested in buying a repo vehicle, get your loan together first. Or, the lender may provide financing if your credit is very good. Perform due diligence by reviewing the car’s repair history and finding out from the lender why the car was repossessed.

Repo Dealers

Some car dealers specialize in buying repossessed cars from banks and auctions, making repairs and detailing them for resale. You will want to avoid any car that was salvaged, meaning that the vehicle was declared a total loss by the insurance company.

However, there are different kinds of damages that can give a car a “salvage title” including flood damage, hail damage and theft recovery notes Ronald Montoya writing for Edmunds.com. If you are handy with a car and you don’t mind the risk, then find out as much about the car’s history before moving forward.

Auction Houses

Many repo vehicles end up at public auction and are made available for sale to the highest bidder. However, these are also the cars that lenders and dealers may let pass by, meaning you need to be extra cautious before placing a bid.

First, check the vehicle identification number (VIN) to ensure that you have a match. If the car has been rebuilt, the VIN may not match. Move on if it doesn’t.

Second, look carefully at the car. Inspect the car inside and out, and crawl underneath to look for signs of water damage, frame repair and rust. Pull the dipsticks to verify that all fluids are clear. If something looks or smells odd there could be a larger problem lurking within.

Third, know the vehicles worth. If it is being sold “as is” then you know that there are problems present. Compare the auction house value with the Kelley Blue Book value. Set your top price and never get pulled into offering more for a car than what you’re willing to pay for it.

Your desire to find a repo vehicle bargain should never trump common sense. If you’re not particularly handy with car, this entire process should be left to those that are. Even weekend warriors know that a repo can require much TLC, with their time heavily invested in remaking a loser into a winner.

Buying a new car is a hassle, with more than half of all buyers surveyed indicating that they consider car salespeople “untrustworthy” according to research from DMEautomotive (DMEa). That lack of trust is also higher with women as many ladies believe that they are being taken advantage of when negotiating a new car deal.

Recently, a good friend purchased a 2015 Toyota Corolla from a local dealership. That deal was conducted with her daughter and son-in-law present. No trade in was conducted and my friend managed to save a few thousand dollars by negotiating a lower price and obtaining a few cosmetic upgrades at no additional cost.

It all seemed like a good deal until the dealership’s business department got involved. That’s when said customer was talked into buying no less than five warranties, including a costly extended service agreement that added $6,391 to her final price, state sales tax included.

For the record, I received permission to share my friend’s story with our readers in a bid to warn others what can go wrong when buying a new car. In this case, things went terribly wrong, but there is some good news to report as well: with some special work, all five warranties were rescinded. Yes, there was pushback on the dealer level as each high-profit warranty was contested. It took repeated phone calls and visits to the dealer to get the charges reversed, something you can do if you are similarly tagged with pointless new car warranties.

New Car Warranties

Before we look at my friend’s story in detail, new car shoppers should consider a few points when buying a vehicle.

First, all new cars come with standard warranties. Typically, you receive a bumper-to-bumper warranty for at least the first three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. This means you are covered for anything that can go wrong with your car beyond the general maintenance. Sure, there are a few things that may not be covered and you may still be responsible for some repair costs, but for the most part those expenses are covered by the manufacturer.

Second, all new cars come with other warranties. If your car’s exterior shows signs of rust, the manufacturer will fix the problem at no charge to you. Rust warranties typically last from five to 12 years. Further, most do not have a mileage limit. This means if you drive 200,000 miles in five years, you would still be covered.

Third, new cars also come with powertrain warranties. Perhaps most worrisome for new car buyers are failed parts. Especially major components such as the engine and transmission. After all, if one of these parts fail, you’re looking at repair bills of several thousand dollars. Fortunately, warranties of five years and 60,000 miles are common. Some manufacturers, such as Hyundai and Kia, offer 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranties.

Beyond the Standard Warranties

My friend had not purchased a new car in 15 years. Her previous ride was a premium Japanese make, a model that gave her no major problem. Typically, said friend drives just a few thousand miles each year — her old Acura had barely passed the 50,000-mile mark when she began shopping new.

But like so many other buyers, she was worried that her new car might eventually cause her problems. That worry became evident once she and her family members were sitting in the business office discussing warranty options. Despite her family telling her to not buy the offered warranties, she went ahead and did so. This was easier to do when the business manager said that she “could cancel at any time.”

Right there, a big mistake was made: although the warranties could be canceled, getting it done required multiple phone calls, personal visits to the dealership, and not a little angst. Had she delayed canceling, her warranties would have been pro-rated. This means she would receive a refund minus the time already used.

Warranty Considerations

Personally, I am not against special warranties completely. Cars that have a so-so repair history might benefit from an extended warranty. But that begs the following question: why would you buy any vehicle with reliability problems? It just doesn’t make sense and it may cost you much in time, money and aggravation.